Superheroes
by nilredwen
Summary: Daryl finds a lost child in the woods. What happens when he is suddenly thrust into the father figure role?
1. Chapter 1

The following takes place immediately after Season 3 ends before they started taking on more people.

It was not a particularly inviting day to be out in the forest hunting. The sky was overcast, threatening to rain any minute, and the humidity in the air was so stifling that Daryl found himself drenched in sweat before he'd even gotten out of sight of the prison. In spite of this he was glad to get away for awhile because, well, it felt like a prison to him. He needed to be out in the open air, moving swiftly and silently through the forest, tracking some possible entrée for supper in order to feel more like himself, free and independent and not like a scared animal cowering in a hole all the time.

Most importantly, he needed some time to just be alone and clear his head. As much as he had come to care for the group, to respect each one for what they brought to the table, sometimes he found all the closeness too oppressive. Especially now with the addition of all the Woodbury refugees. Then it was good to be out in the woods far from Carol's well meaning searching looks and Rick's mood swings. Or Glenn and Maggie's lovers' quarrels. And—

"Shit, it's like some damn soap opera in there sometimes." he murmured as he moved off in a new direction, all senses straining for the sign of a target for his itching fingers.

And then he heard a snap, not from any side of him but from above his head, in the trees. "Can't be no Walker then." he thought getting hopeful as he scanned the branches above. At first he saw nothing but on his second scan he caught a glimpse of an unnatural purple color that couldn't possibly be anything but human clothing. A small human at that.

"No way," he thought incredulously, "No way could a kid survive out here alone all this time." Once he had thought it possible as the painful memory of searching so zealously for Sophia rose up in his mind unbidden. He exhaled sharply as if somehow that could rid him of all the anguish that fruitless search brought back. Then he squinted up again and sure enough, the purple spot moved a little. That settled it; he had to try to coax the little one down. But how? Any child who had survived this long alone out in this dangerous, cruel world must have learned to fear Walkers and humans equally and steer clear of both. Nor was Daryl completely unaware of how his rough, unwashed appearance might be very intimidating to the younger set. Suddenly he wished he had brought Carol or any one of the females along who might appear less threatening and able to talk to the child in a motherly fashion. But there wasn't any assurance she would still be there if he went back for one of them to help.

"Well I'm just gonna have to turn on the Dixon charm then." he thought ruefully. Lowering his bow to point non- threateningly at the ground he gave a low whistle. "Hey kid, you must be a right fine climber to get that high up that tree. I couldn't have made it that high when I was your age."

Pause for effect.

Nothing.

This kid was wary alright. This was going to be a tough sell and it wasn't like he was a natural with kids. He hadn't had much exposure to kids at all until falling in with this group and at this point Carl didn't even seem much like a kid anymore after all they'd been through, just a smaller adult.

Taking a moment to spit he tried another tactic. "You hungry? Me and my group, we got some good stuff back where we're holed up. Some powdered milk "( Did kids like milk or was that something parents just forced them to drink?) "and boxes of pancake mix and we've got this lady Carol, see, who fries up some damn fine pancakes." Shit, he'd just cussed while talking to a little kid! This was hard, way harder than just shooting some Walkers.

A small, high pitched voice that sounded undeniably girlish interrupted his inner beratings saying hesitantly "Carol—I've got an Aunt Carol, she's really nice. Is your Carol—is she nice?"

"Yeah, she' real nice. You'll like her. She'll like you a bunch you I'll bet." He was warming to this now, feeling like he was getting somewhere, gaining confidence. "She misses her own little girl lots you see."

An idea dawned on him, that bringing this girl back, while she could never replace Sophia, perhaps she might give Carol a second chance at mothering a child of her own again. It might bring her joy. The thought of making Carol truly happy again spurred him on to redouble his efforts. The high pitched voice piped up once more.

"What happened to her little girl?"

Daryl frowned, thinking maybe that had been a mistake to mention Carol had lost her daughter. He hadn't meant to tell her something so sad. But now he was screwed because if he didn't answer her or lied the little thing might never trust him enough to come down. Sighing he said softly "She got lost in the woods and got bit. And turned."

Silence from above. He continued haltingly "We looked and looked for her for days. I really thought she'd make it, that I could bring her back to her mama but…" He trailed off as the grief at his failure engulfed him again, surprisingly heavy still despite all the time passed.

"That was really nice of you to look so hard for the little girl mister." The high pitched voice had a tremor in it now. "Can you help me find my mom?"

"Where's your mama at honey? Any idea?"

"I don't know."

He heard sounds of crying now. Shit, he'd screwed up again, he hadn't meant to make her cry! Scrubbing his hand through his unruly hair he said gently "Don't matter. If you come down I promise I'll try to help you find her."

A few sniffles was all he heard for a few moments but then the rustling began and soon enough the form of a scrawny girl of about 8 or 9 appeared, agilely shimmying down the trunk of the tree to the right of him. He watched her feeling true admiration for her skill, the skill that had probably contributed a great deal to her successful survival up until now on her own. "Walkers can't climb trees." he thought approvingly. Then he fixed his attention fully on the girl now standing before him.

She was very scrawny indeed and had big brown eyes peering up at him intently from behind glasses and a solemn little face. Her hair was shoulder length, stringy and knotted looking. Scrapes and bruises coated every patch of skin not covered by her T shirt and Capri length jeans. She had a pink mini backpack strapped on.

It occurred to Daryl she was probably cataloguing his bedraggled state of affairs as well and a smile crept across his face. "Well shoot, don't we look a pair."

The kid furled her brows looking even more serious. "I'm not really supposed to talk to strangers. But there isn't anybody around I know anymore and… you seem nice."

He nodded encouragingly and decided this might be a good time to actually introduce himself formally "Hey, my name's Daryl. What's yours?"

A moment's hesitation. "Leah."

"That's real pretty. Though you're such good climber I'd a called you Monkey if you hadn't seen fit to tell me your name."

That garnered him his first smile. "That's what my parents sometimes say about me cuz I climb so well, that I'm their little monkey."

Daryl was starting to feel like he was pretty good at handling a little girl after all, having gotten her down from the tree and even smiling now. The most important step was yet to come though, getting her to follow him back to the prison.

"Listen Leah-"

The telltale sounds of approaching Walkers cut through the air.

"Oh hell!" he spat out as he leveled his crossbow back up. He turned his head to tell Leah to stay behind him only to find her scrambling back up her tree with lightning speed.

So much the better, now he could concentrate on taking them out without worrying about her. Number one was a big, hulking fellow ahead of the other two and Daryl took him down immediately. The other two were converging on him simultaneously which meant he'd have to fall back to give him time to take them both-

Something flew by him in his peripheral vision and landed with a loud thunk behind the Walkers. The one closer to the sound turned to see what it was giving Daryl time to dispatch the other promptly and the third almost at his leisure. It was all over in under a minute.

"Awright little Monkey. Get yourself back down here quick and let's get back to my people before more of these ugly guys show up."

Before he finished saying the words she was back beside him, gazing up at him with evident admiration in her eyes. "Wow! You were awesome with that bow and arrow! You're like a superhero—like, like the Green Arrow!"

Daryl stared back at her incredulously, unused to someone looking at him with such awe and certainly unaccustomed to being likened to a superhero. He didn't know how to take compliments in general and this was just too much. "C'mon kid, let's get going already. You can tell me about superheroes on the way."

"Okay." Then to his surprise he felt bony, calloused fingers slip into his free hand. Even more surprising, he found he instinctively curled his own hand protectively around her little one. Daryl decided not to waste time questioning it all and just moved forward swiftly.

Leah was silent for a few minutes but it didn't last. "Or you know who else you're like? Legolas!"

"Who the…who is that?"

"You know, from Lord of the Rings. He's the elf."

"Shoot, I ain't no pointy eared little Santa's helper!"

Leah gave Daryl a strange look but said nothing. Feeling a little silly for getting annoyed with a little kid about something so trivial he quickly added "But you can call me Green Arrow if you want."

"Okay."

She sounded a little subdued again. He found he wanted to hear more of her high pitched observations and he remembered something just then he'd wanted to ask her about.

"Hey did you throw something at one of the Walkers Leah?"

"No, not _at_ it. _Past _it. My parents taught us that noises distract the…things. So I keep little rocks in my backpack and throw them as far as I can away from the tree I'm in if they won't go away."

Daryl once again felt a real flash of admiration for the little girl scampering along beside him clutching his hand.

"You're a bit of a superhero yourself kid ain't ya?"

He got another smile for that, the biggest one yet. Maybe he was a natural with little kids after all.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they had reached the prison gates Daryl had gotten more background story out of Leah, not that it was hard to get her to talk. She was clearly a chatterbox and spoke more eloquently than Daryl expected most kids her age did. Her dad was a paramedic and her mom a nurse in a big hospital in Atlanta and when things had gotten really bad her dad, who was a "prepper" in Leah's own words, had them hunker down for months in the house. When their supplies had finally started to run low they had loaded up their truck with what was left, piled the family of five into it, and hit the road. She didn't know where he was heading sadly, just "out west". Her dad and older brothers all fished and so they tended to stop and do so whenever possible.

It was during one of these fishing stops that Leah had gotten separated from them. Walkers had appeared in droves cutting her off from the rest of the family leaving her no choice but to retreat into the forest and find a good tree to hide in. She had been stuck up there through the night because a bunch of Walkers had remained below waiting. It was only when some animal had made noises toward dawn and lured them away that she could come back down to look for her family. But her sense of direction sense must have gotten completely confused because she couldn't find her way back to the lake and ended up deeper in the forest instead.

She had found a gas station/mini mart at some point in her wanderings and while most of the food was gone, the candy had been overlooked and she'd stuffed as much as she could into her little backpack and pockets and this had sustained her. Between that and scrounging for berries much as he had done when he'd gotten lost in the woods as a little boy she'd survived. But Daryl had a feeling she was close to starving by now though having lived like this for what he estimated was about one week and his offer of food to entice her down had to have been a big motivator.

They made it to the prison gates without any further mishaps just as the rain started to patter down. As Carl quickly pulled the gate shut behind them Daryl caught the bewildered look in his eyes at the site of him toting a little girl along by the hand instead of some game. But Carl said nothing, merely jogging after them. They met no one else in the courtyard and entered the main living area where the first person they saw was Carol with her back to them. To get her attention Daryl eloquently grunted "Hey."

Immediately she turned around and Daryl saw she'd been feeding Judith her bottle. A welcoming smile was on her lips but then she noticed Leah still clutching his hand as if her life depended on it and her face froze, eyes widening. Speech seemed to elude her.

"This is Leah. Leah, this is Carol who I told you 'bout. Say hi."

A "Hi" dutifully emerged from beside him but then an uncomfortable silence descended again. Daryl wasn't sure why exactly. Maybe he needed to provide more information. "Found her hiding in a tree. Got separated from her family while back. I just couldn't leave her out there on her own could I?"

Carol blinked and came back to life. "No of course you couldn't Daryl, of course not." The smile returned to her face and she said to Leah "I'm glad Daryl found you honey and brought you back. You'll be safe here."

Leah found her voice again now too saying eagerly "I'm really glad too. Daryl didn't tell me you got a baby. I love babies." Letting go of Daryl's hand finally she moved forward slowly to Carol adding "My mom lets me hold babies if I'm sitting down. Can I hold her? I'll be careful." And she plunked herself down in a nearby chair, clearly hopeful she might get a shot.

Carol contemplated her for a minute and then knelt down beside her murmuring directions to her softly and soon Leah was smiling happily down at the cooing Judith.

"Be careful with her." Carl's voice sharply interposed from behind Daryl, "she's my sister you know." He'd been so quiet Daryl had forgotten he was there. Leah was the first kid Carl had spoken to in a long while because as far as Daryl knew he ignored the Woodbury refugees completely. He wondered if Carl even knew how to interact with another kid anymore.

Leah looked up at him and solemnly answered "I'm _always _careful with babies. You're lucky you have a baby; I'm the youngest in my family so I never got a baby of my own. I got two older brothers though. You look like you're the same age as Michael. He's eleven."

The sounds of footsteps approaching made Daryl turn. Rick, Hershel, and Maggie all appeared and stopped short when they saw Leah sitting there placidly cuddling Judith.

"Oh my God, it's really true. Glenn said he could see from the tower…" Maggie whispered.

"We thought you'd be bringing home some squirrel for supper tonight not little girl." Hershel said with a twinkle in his eye.

Daryl shrugged. "Sorry Hershel but she was lost and I can always bag some squirrels later."

Now Rick spoke up. "Daryl, can I speak with you a moment in private?"

Daryl knew what was coming. They both kept silent until they were out of Leah's earshot and then Rick turned to face him with his hands on his hips. "Daryl are you sure she was really alone? What do you know about her people?"

Daryl summarized her story in his typical brief way finishing off "She's a real fine climber. Probably what kept her alive this long."

Rick contemplated all this silently for a bit then sighed. "I get it Daryl. But we gotta be careful, what if she was a decoy and you were followed back?"

Daryl marveled at the new heights Rick's distrust had risen to but who could blame him after all they'd been through? "Rick, you know I'm a good tracker. I'm tellin' you there weren't no sign of another soul anywhere near where I found her. She was alone and scared. And close to starving I think."

Rick was silent another minute, brows furrowed. Then scratching his head wearily he said "Sorry Daryl. I know you did a good thing. I just can't help but worry after the Governor…"

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, in full agreement. But Leah wasn't going to be a problem, he just knew it in his gut.

"Do you think the parents are still alive?"

"Hard to say. But I promised her I'd look for 'em so I will. I just need to figure out where to look first though." He waited to see if Rick would offer to help. He didn't disappoint.

"Let's pull out the map and get started then. What landmarks can she give us to help us locate where they were?"

As they walked Daryl explained what little he had gotten from the little girl's impressions of where her family had been. "The lakes in the area are probably the best way to narrow the search down." he said.

"I agree. What are the chances that if they survived that they'd have given up searching for her and cleared out of here by now though?"

Daryl looked hard at Rick and Sophia's ghost seemed to hover there between them for a moment, there was no need to even say a word.

"No, they wouldn't give up would they? Not til they found a body… or worse." Rick shook his head, laid out the map, and they poured over it a long while, oblivious to all else until they were summoned to dinner.

Daryl was pleased to find Leah in the midst of eating with gusto, Carol sitting beside her and heaping more food on her plate. Carol must have made her wash up first because she looked a whole lot cleaner. As soon as Leah saw him she stopped eating. "Daryl!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up. " I was telling all about how you found me."

Carol looked up smirking. "Yeah, she told us _everything_ Green Arrow."

He now regretted not telling Leah to keep that particular detail their little secret because judging by everyone else's faces he wasn't going to hear the end of that one for awhile. Choosing to ignore the comment he drew up a chair and dug in. There was no meat on the menu tonight but Carol had managed to put together an extra nice spread anyhow, probably in honor of Leah.

Now that he'd appeared Leah seemed to forget about the food completely and eyes bright she said "Maybe you can teach me how to shoot the bow and arrow like that too Daryl?"

"Then you could be his sidekick huh? Every superhero needs a sidekick right?" That was Carol again, baiting him.

"Yeah, I could be Artemis! That's Green Arrow's girl sidekick's name."

"You sure do know your superheroes don't you?" Beth said kindly.

"My brothers taught me. They watch Justice League, X-Men, the Avengers. And they had a lot of the comics too." Growing more solemn now she added "Michael was really upset he couldn't bring all his comics with him when we left the house. My dad said 'No extraneous stuff'. But he did let me bring my Raggedy Anne doll. She was in the car when I got lost so I don't have her with me though. I really miss her."

Carl suddenly piped up "Aren't you a little old for a doll anyway?"

Daryl flicked a look of annoyance at the boy but Carl was staring at Leah with a belligerent look on his face so he didn't notice.

Leah didn't seem to mind the question though. "No. All of my friends still play with dolls too."

"All of your friends are probably de—"

"That's enough Carl!" Rick snapped. Daryl was watching Leah, hoping she hadn't realized what Carl was about to cruelly reveal to her. She looked a bit taken aback but that might have been just because she was surprised by the unprovoked animosity he was directing toward her. Carol saved the day by saying brightly "Well I slept with my old doll til I was almost twelve I think."

Beth added "Me too. I might've even been close to thirteen before I stopped clutching my old pink bunny under my arm as I fell asleep right Dad?" Hershel nodded, eyes crinkling at the memory.

The diversion worked and Leah began questioning them about the names of their doll and bunny respectively. Daryl heaved an inner sigh of relief. What was with Carl? He found his gaze wandering back to him and noted Rick staring at him with a worried frown on his face. Rick had been fretting about what kind of person his son was becoming more and more and taking his gun away had only increased his sullenness. Now he seemed to be taking his anger out on poor Leah. Well, Rick was his daddy and he was a far better one than Daryl's own ever was so he'd leave it up to Rick to rein him in.

After supper Carol declared that it was bedtime for Leah and an empty cell needed to be set up for her. As she was being led away Leah called out "Could you come tuck me in Daryl?"

"What?" He was dumbfounded. He didn't even know what that entailed and looked at Carol desperately hoping she'd get him off the hook. She grinned and said "Sure honey, he'll come in a few minutes. Let's get you set up first."

That was not what he'd wanted Carol to say but clearly she was enjoying seeing him in this new role he'd been thrust into as some kind of substitute father and wanted to see more before bed. Everyone else left in the dining area, he noted, was busy hiding their faces with their hands or by turning around and sounds suspiciously like muffled chuckling could be heard too. Well, at least it was lifting everyone's spirits a little so he couldn't be too upset about it. Maybe that was Carol's real reason for encouraging Leah, because she knew everyone needed to laugh more. That would be just like her.

He waited a couple minutes and then slowly made his way down the row of cells, listening for Carol's voice to help him locate the right one. It turned out to be the closest empty one to Carol's, unsurprisingly. He stopped uncertainly outside and not even looking in said softly "I'm here."

Carol immediately appeared still smiling and said "Good. She's been asking when you'd come already even though the poor thing is so exhausted she's half asleep already. She's fighting to stay awake just to see you."

"Why?" Daryl couldn't help but blurt out.

Shaking her head Carol became serious. "Because that's how little kids are. You treat them with kindness and respect and they come to love you easily. And…you're her hero now too. She looks up to you. That's a very special thing and a big responsibility to live up to. But I know you're up to the task." She brushed her hand against his cheek lightly at this and walked away before he could argue or say another word.

Just then Leah's voice sounding a little hoarse and sleepy floated out to him. "Daryl? Are you coming?"

"Yeah honey. I'm here." He walked into the dim room hesitantly.

She was curled up under a blanket pulled up to her chin. It made her look even smaller and more fragile. Her glasses were off, folded on a ledge so her eyes looked even bigger now. A smile spread across her face as he neared.

"Uh, listen kid. You're gonna have to clue me in on what this 'tuckin' in' business is , I never done it before."

"My mom usually sings to me."

"Oh no way. You don't wanna hear me sing Leah. I'll get you Beth instead, she's got a real ni—"

"No don't go!" she said plaintively, reaching out her hand. He had no choice but to take it now so he knelt down by her head so he could reach her easier and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"You could tell me a story then."

This was not a good option either. Daryl thought for a moment, reluctant to tell her no again and disappoint her. A sudden inspiration came to him.

"How 'bout you tell me a story instead, a little about that elf fella you mentioned earlier, Legalo is it?"

She giggled. "Legolas. Okay. He's not like one of Santa's elves, he's tall like you and has long blonde hair. And he's really amazing with his bow and arrow…but it's not like yours, it's the old fashioned kind, not a…a…what's yours called again?"

"Crossbow." he grunted.

"Yeah…so he has… the best aim and…" She soon trailed off as sleep overcame her at last. Daryl stayed there anyway for a good, long while watching over her even though he knew he didn't need to. But he kind of thought she would be happy that he did.


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl awakened with the dawn, intent on getting an early start and making the most of the daylight in his initial sweep for Leah's parents. He most certainly did not expect to find Leah herself already up when he emerged and busy performing some kind of acrobatics that involved hanging upside down from the railings running along the upper level of the prison.

"Hey!" he couldn't help but exclaim, "Quit that! You're gonna fall and break something!"

"Hi Daryl!" She beamed up at him as she righted herself onto solid ground obediently. " I didn't think anyone would mind if I practiced my gymnastics here."

" Course I mind! I didn't rescue you only to have you hurt your fool self doing something stupid."

Her little face took on a solemn cast and she said softly "I'm sorry Darryl. I won't do it again. Please don't be mad at me."

"Shoot, I ain't mad kid. You just had me worried is all." And he smiled at her to prove it.

"Good." She said visibly brightening. Her eyes alighted on his bow strapped to his back. "Are you going out now? Are you gonna look for my parents? Can I come? Please?"

"Yeah I'm goin' and no, you sure ain't comin' along. I can do this much faster on my own."

She looked crestfallen and Daryl felt bad. Why did it affect him so much to see her sad? He cast about for something to cheer her up. "Hey, you can help out with the baby more today I'll bet. Don't that sound fun?"

"I guess. But I'd rather go with you."

Daryl felt pleased to know she preferred his company to the baby she clearly enjoyed. He patted her on the head fondly and said "I'll be back in time to tuck you in again, okay?"

"Okay Daryl" Leah said and without warning she flung herself at him with such force he almost lost his balance. She clung to him around his neck tightly, head buried in his shoulder. "Thank you" she said with a quaver to her voice now.

"Hey," he said softly as he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her bony little body, afraid he might hurt her unintentionally, "Hey, don't you go cryin' on me now. There's no need for that. You're a strong, brave girl and now you're in a safe place where you can rest easy with people who'll take care of you. And I'll be back, I promise, just like I promised I'd look for your family. And I always keep my promises little Monkey."

She pulled back so she could look him in the eye, clearly trying to hold back tears and look brave. "Okay Green Arrow."

Then giving him one more fierce hug she dropped down lightly to the ground. She trailed him to the door where he told her in no uncertain terms to go no farther. She obeyed but remained at the door waving to him until he rounded the corner en route to his bike.

Rick and he had mapped out a very methodical search area last night covering any known lakes within the distance Leah might have come. Assuming her family would have stayed close to the original site once the herd had passed on in the hope that she'd return, this approach made the most sense. Armed with Leah's description of the family vehicle ("Dark blue with a container strapped to the roof") and her parents names, Abby and Tom, Daryl roared out through the gates feeling surprisingly optimistic about his chances of success.

The first lake was a bust and the second was ultimately as well though he had to waste time clearing it of a cluster of Walkers first before he could even search it properly for any signs of people having been there. By the time he thoroughly searched the third one on his list it was time to turn around if he wanted to be true to his word and be back in time for Leah's bedtime. Besides, it was far better searching in the full daylight. He tried not to think about how disappointed she would be when he came back with no news of her family. Then again, he hadn't found their bodies either or their vehicle abandoned so he would try to make her see the positive side. Also on the positive side he managed to bag a careless rabbit at the last lake on top of two squirrels from earlier so meat was on the menu tonight.

As he rode through the gates he found himself growing ever more apprehensive about having to tell her he'd struck out. "Shit, I hope she don't start to bawl." he murmured as he parked his bike.

Daryl headed straight to the kitchen to drop off the fresh game which was received favorably by Carol and Beth, both busy fixing supper. Carol didn't even ask him if he'd had any luck, she simply said "Well, it's just the first day of searching. There's still hope."

"Yeah. But that don't make it easier tellin' Leah that her hero came up short. Speakin' of Leah where is she?"He had been scanning the kitchen for her and concluded she wasn't around.

"That child has an incredible amount of energy and she just couldn't be contained in here anymore." Carol replied shaking her head. "So I sent her to fetch water for Judith's bath."

Daryl's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure she can haul that bucket back full of water?"

"I told her not to fill it anymore than she could handle. Let's see how much that turns out to be."

"I'll go check on her." Daryl grunted, "Gotta tell her sooner or later." He made his way out to where the big water cisterns were kept and spied her from the door slowly making her way back, clearly trying hard not to slosh any water out of her bucket as she walked. Her face was intent on the bucket so she didn't notice him at the doorway. He was just about to call out when the last person in the place he wanted to talk to Leah approached from right. Carl.

He planted himself directly in her path with arms crossed."Just let me carry that. You're too little to do it. You'll probably spill most of it by the time you make it back."

Daryl's first instinct was to step in but he was curious to see how Leah would respond and he also wanted to give her a chance to fight her own battle.

She kept right on going sidestepping him saying emphatically "No thank you. Carol gave me the job and I can too do it."

"That's my girl" Daryl thought to himself, "don't let him bully you."

Carl looked like he wanted to say something else but Leah caught sight of Daryl just then and with a delighted grin cried "Daryl!"

"Hey kid" he said as he walked up to her. She looked up at him expectantly and his heart sank. Not wanting to make her ask the question he shook his head right away and said "No sign of them today but that just means I didn't get to the right lake yet, is all. I'll try more tomorrow I promise."

Her face fell and she nodded silently. She placed the bucket on the ground bending her head down to look at it and her hair fell forward obscuring her face. A few sniffles emerged and her shoulders shook a bit. Daryl waited apprehensively for the full blown crying to erupt but it never came. After a minute or so she looked back up at him and said in a tight voice "Okay. Maybe tomorrow you'll find the right lake." And she picked the bucket back up and proceeded forward again slowly.

Well, if she wasn't going to dwell on the disappointment of today's search he sure wasn't going to make her so he just offered to carry the bucket for her in a more pleasant way than Carl had but she declined his help as well. So he slowed his pace down to match her slow progression.

After a few moments it became clear she wasn't capable of talking yet so he filled the silence by telling her about the addition of rabbit to the menu tonight.

"You killed a bunny?" she asked, disbelief evident in her voice. Her eyes had gone wide as she peered up at him for a moment before focusing on the bucket again. "I'm not eating a bunny."

Daryl was astounded by her reaction. "You eat other animals dontcha?"

"Yeah, but not bunnies. They're cute and my friend Ellie has a pet bunny named Muffin that I love. So I'm not eating a bunny." she concluded, a stubborn edge to her voice now.

Daryl was flummoxed. The kid had been starving for a week and here he brought home some real meat for dinner and she wouldn't eat it because her friend had a pet rabbit with a stupid name? This wasn't going to fly.

"Listen here Leah, you need to eat some meat, your body needs that to grow. You ain't ate well for a whole week. Now you can get strong again, this will help."

"No way." she said tightly. "I'm not eating a bunny."

Starting to lose his patience now with her irrational stubbornness he said forcefully "You sure are. It ain't up for debate. Got it?"

She mumbled something under her breath and then went silent the rest of the way back to the kitchen. When they entered Carol looked up and Daryl saw her brows crease worriedly when she saw Leah's face. She thanked the little girl and sent her over to Judith while she approached Daryl.

"She took it pretty bad when you told her you hadn't found them yet huh?"

"No, that went okay. She's upset because I'm gonna make her eat a bunny." He grimaced as he realized he'd used Leah's childish term. "I mean rabbit."

Carol laughed softly. "Oh now you're starting to see the tougher side of parenting .Yeah, kids don't always want to eat what's good for them. So now you're the bad guy."

Catching sight in his eyes of what must have been the alarm he felt at the possibility Leah would really see him that way Carol added "Don't worry. It won't last. You'll be back to hero status soon enough. Just let her mope for awhile and after supper we'll see if she changes her tune."

Daryl received the silent treatment from Leah throughout supper but she did indeed eat whatever meat was placed on her plate without further objections at least. She studiously refrained from making eye contact with him even after the meal was done and when Carol herded her off to bed Daryl felt disappointed but not surprised that she didn't ask for him to come tuck her in. He sighed inwardly and was just resigning himself to being satisfied with having ensured she ate properly when Carol returned and said with a smile "She's asking for you to come tuck her in and she sounds very contrite .Told you so."

Daryl had never heard that word contrite used before in his life but he could make a pretty good guess that it meant something like sorry so he didn't bother to ask Carol for a definition and made his way toward Leah's cell feeling ridiculously victorious. When he reached the door to her cell he paused and called out softly "Hey."

"Daryl?"

"Yeah?" He walked in slowly and crouched down by the bed like he had the night before.

"Don't be mad at me please? I'm sorry I made trouble about the bunny. It was really yummy. Thank you."

"I'm not mad." He said gruffly, only half telling the truth.

"Really? Promise?" She sounded so pitiful Daryl patted her on the head and said more gently "Promise. Just don't give me no more problems about what I bring for you to eat next time okay?"

She did not reply, furrowing her brows instead, and Daryl guessed maybe he was pushing it a little so he tried another angle.

"Can we at least drop the word "bunny"? They're rabbits okay?"

"Okay Daryl." She sounded half asleep now. "Just rabbits…"

She soon drifted off but he stayed with her for awhile after again. As he crouched there watching her even breathing he couldn't help but think once more that maybe, just maybe, he was getting the hang of this parenting thing.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey quit that!"

Daryl could not quite believe that for the second morning in a row he'd arisen early and come out to find Leah doing something likely to result in injury, this time scaling the bars of a cell door.

"Thought I told you not to do that yesterday!"

"You did not!"

"I did too!" Daryl said wincing. "I mean, I told you no climbing!"

"But you didn't say I couldn't climb the doors, just not to hang on the railings. And I really like to climb stuff and there's no trees here." She was back on the ground now with her arms crossed looking the very picture of stubbornness.

Was she trying to make him develop an ulcer from worry? Why couldn't she just keep both feet planted on the ground safely? "Look, no climbing stuff _period_. Ain't there any other stuff you like to do that's safer?"

She considered the question seriously for a moment then said "I like to color a lot."

"Great." Daryl said with more enthusiasm than the response merited. "I'll try to find you paint or crayons today."

"Or markers. Markers are good too."

"Or markers." he agreed. "So behave yourself. I gotta get goin', got a lot of ground to cover today."

"Okay Daryl. Good luck!" and with that Leah launched herself at him like she did the day before. This time he was more prepared and kept his balance better.

"Thanks kid. Just behave yourself while I'm gone." And she scrambled back down nodding her head earnestly. She trailed him to the door and waved to him until he was out of sight just like she had the day before. Daryl couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief that at least they hadn't had to go through a repeat of her begging to come with him again too.

Intent on not having a repeat of her morning circus acts he first made a quick stop at a large chain store they had raided awhile back for supplies. He hadn't thought he would ever return there since they'd cleared it out of anything remotely useful weeks ago but in his present circumstances the school supplies aisle he'd bypassed back then suddenly looked pretty good. He took out a few errant Walkers on his way in and scored a box of markers, crayons, and some bizarre product called Glitter Glue in assorted colors that he threw in for good measure.

Then he got back to the more serious business of searching for Leah's parents once more. The first lake on his list ended up being a disappointment after a thorough search of its perimeters. However when he reached the second lake of the day there wasn't even any need for Daryl to do any searching because the cross was visible to him almost immediately off to one side under a shady tree. Feeling very little surprise at the sight he drew near to find neatly inscribed on the horizontal part "Joseph, Beloved Son".

"Shit." Daryl murmured as he bowed his head. Leah's oldest brother was dead, probably another Walker casualty. But by the same token the presence of the neat gravesite gave him proof of life for some of the family at least because someone had been left able bodied enough to bury him properly. The grave looked to be a few days old but when he knelt to inspect the ground he saw signs of fresh footprints not more than 24 hours old. So they were coming back here, probably every day, to check for Leah and to mourn over their dead son's grave. And maybe to pray they didn't have a dead daughter too.

Then his eyes alighted on the lower half of the tree behind the cross and he found himself reading a brief block printed message carved into the trunk "LEAH WAIT HERE. WE COME EVERYDAY". They had placed it at what would be her eye level which was why he hadn't noticed it right away. Well, these prints proved they'd already been here today so there was no point in waiting around now. He decided to proceed on down the nearest highway and look for more signs of them. With one last sad shake of his head toward the gravesite Daryl hurried back to his bike and roared off.

About two hours later he saw a vehicle parked at the side of the road in the distance, clearly a dark color. Not letting himself get too hopeful he slowed a little, straining his eyes for details and noted there was a roof rack perched atop it. Then his eyebrows rose a little as he picked out a human being perched atop that. Soon he was close enough to tell it was a female and she was clearly focused on him now, training something in her hand in his direction, most likely a gun if she was smart.

He stopped the bike a good 100 feet away and slowly got off, holding his hands up where she could see them clearly.

"Hey" he called out, "Don't shoot okay? I'm only here 'cuz I'm lookin' for some people, a family."

"Don't come any closer." the woman shouted back crisply. "I can hear you just fine from there." Then in a less certain voice she added "Who are you looking for and why?"

Daryl paused for a moment, unsure of the best way to approach this now that it appeared he might have achieved his objective.

"I found a little girl in the woods a few days back, hungry but okay otherwise." He gave her a few seconds to process that.

The arm training the gun on him visibly trembled a bit but when she spoke her voice was surprisingly steady—and wary. "Why are you telling me this?"

Daryl recognized the immense self control she must be exerting right now, the distrust of strangers she, like most of them who had survived this long, naturally harbored at war with the frantic worry of a mother for her child. He struggled to find the quickest way to fully allay her fears and suspicions. "Because I promised her I'd find her family for her and so she told me all about them, that her mom was a nurse and her dad a paramedic…And that she had two older brothers, Joseph and Michael and they all loved comics about superheroes…"

The woman was biting her lower lip hard now, her face white. Daryl pushed on.

"And man does she know her superheroes." Of its own accord a small smile began to spread across his face as he added "She calls me Green Arrow, on account of my crossbow I used to shoot some Walkers."

"Leah! You found my Leah!" The words escaped from her throat in a strangled sobbing way. "Praise be the Lord! She's alive!" She lowered the gun and gestured for him to come closer. She jumped down with agility that reminded him of her daughter and walked slowly forward, tears streaming down her face. When they neared each other she stuck out her hand formally and said "I'm much obliged to you Mister-"

"Daryl. Just Daryl." Before she could say the next obvious thing he added "And you're Abby I know. Leah told me that too."

"Oh she's a talker all right my little girl!" She took a deep breath to steady herself and added "Tell me everything."

So he did, thinking the whole time how much like her mom Leah looked. Same big eyes and glasses, same straight brown hair cut to shoulder length, and the same slender build. He would have known this was Leah's mom even if she hadn't been sitting on a truck that matched the description, he'd have known her anywhere. For her part, she let him talk uninterrupted, merely nodding from time to time and smiling at his recollection of Leah's using the prison as a jungle gym.

When he finished he hesitated a moment then decided to add "I'm sorry about your boy. I saw his grave."

For a moment he thought she might start to cry again but she shut her eyes instead and when she opened them again she was in control of herself. "Thank you. He got bitten in the arm saving Michael from the…things. He died a few days later, like they always do. We miss him so but… he's in a better place now."

Daryl's heart skipped a beat when she mentioned where he'd been bitten. Clearly they didn't know what his group now knew with certainty thanks to Rick's desperate effort to save Hershel. Should he tell her so they would know for the future in case? Or would the knowledge that she might have been able to save her boy after all just devastate her too much?

He decided to shelve that quandary for a bit and find out another important piece of information. "Where's your husband and your other boy now?"

"Oh they're off in the woods searching for Leah now. That's the routine we've fallen into since…that day. In the morning we go visit Joe's grave and see if Leah's come back there. They fish. Then we drive off in a different direction and Tom and Michael search a section of the woods for signs of Leah until it gets close to sunset. I stay here and guard the van, keep lookout."

Daryl nodded in understanding. It all sounded so hauntingly familiar.

"Well all right then," he said " I'll just wait with you 'til they get back and then I can lead you all to the prison and you can finally be with your little girl again."

"God bless you Daryl." Abby reached out suddenly and squeezed his hand fiercely and he was reminded of how Leah had grasped his hand in the woods that day so trustingly. Then she let go and made her way back to the truck saying "Shouldn't be too much longer now, maybe just another hour. Want to join me up here? I've got to stay up here or Tom will be frantic if he doesn't see me there keeping watch when he returns."

"Lemme move my bike closer first."

He parked it right in front of the truck and joined her up top. He found her busy with two long needles and a skein of green yarn, doing some kind of knitting or crocheting, Daryl surely couldn't tell which it was.

Noticing him watching her hands she smiled "My mom taught all of her daughters how to crochet when we were very young. Now I think it's the only thing that keeps me sane when I'm alone here for hours just waiting and watching. And praying. Lord, I've made a lot of blankets and scarves since this plague began!"

"Ain't nothin' wrong with that." Daryl was thinking she was probably one of the sanest people he'd met in recent times and wondered if maybe more people should take up this crocheting thing to cope. That thought led him to finally decide about his quandary earlier. "Listen Abby, I'm gonna tell you somethin' but you gotta understand it's just in case, for the future, you can't beat yourself up about the past."

She paused in her efforts and stared at him intently with those big brown eyes so like Leah's. "Well all right then Daryl. Just tell me straight up, no beating round the bush. I'm a big girl."

Daryl took a deep breath and said softly "If someone gets bit on an arm or leg we figured out see, that if you cut off the bitten leg—or arm—quickly, you can stop the disease from spreading and they won't turn. That's how Rick saved one of our group, Hershel, when he was bit in the leg. He's doin' fine since then, gets around real good on his crutches."

Abby's eyes had gone wide and her busy hands had frozen. "Oh…" she said in a quiet voice, then fell silent for a good minute, closing her eyes again. A slight tremor ran through her, then she opened her eyes and said "You mean we could have saved my Joe if only…"

Daryl nodded solemnly but said "But don't beat yourself up about it. How could you know?"

Shaking her head she murmured "And we both healthcare professionals and we never thought to try that and this Rick—what was he before?"

"Deputy Sheriff."

"A Deputy Sheriff." She repeated, sounding incredulous. And she shook her head again. "Oh the Lord works in strange ways. Well, I thank you Daryl for telling me, I know it couldn't have been easy for you to tell me but you were right to, it could save other lives someday and that's precious knowledge then. But please," and here she leaned in close to him looking grave, "please don't mention this to Tom. It might just tear him apart. I've got my faith in the Lord to sustain me but Tom, well, his relationship with the Lord was strained even before all this madness began and now he's just given up on Him completely. He thinks that God has just abandoned us—or that there isn't any God at all."

Daryl snorted, he couldn't help it. "Seems to me Tom's view makes more sense, beggin' your pardon. What kind of God would let the world go to hell like this?"

Abby sighed. "God destroyed the Earth once before Daryl. In the days of Noah he sent the flood and washed everything away. At least this time He was kind enough to leave the animals and plants untouched."

Daryl chewed that over a bit then said "I don't know my Bible much Abby but didn't that flood destroy all the evil people last time? 'Cuz this time I can tell you He missed more than a few of them…and took out a lot of damn good ones."

Abby nodded her head. "You are so very right about that. I-"

Just then Daryl picked up sounds coming from the forest and he raised one hand to her indicating she should quiet down. She put down her needles and drew her gun while he readied his bow. He knew it was probably Tom and Michael but just in case…

A broad shouldered man wearing a baseball cap appeared opposite them shouldering a rifle and the second he saw Daryl he brought it up to point directly at his head. "Get the hell away from my wife right now asshole or you're dead. I don't miss."

While he was growling this a boy edged out from behind him holding a rifle up as well, face looking worried and cried out "Mom!"

Daryl lowered his bow slowly saying "Easy."

Abby interjected quickly in an authoritative voice "It's okay Tom. He's a friend. He found our Leah, she's alive! He and his people have been caring for her the past few days and he's been looking for us."

Tom's face lost all of its hardness and he said "Jesus Abby, are you _sure_?" The rifle remained pointed at Daryl and the boy, taking his cue from his father, continued to aim at him too though his face had the beginnings of a smile on it.

"Yes Tom. You know I'm a good judge of character. When have I ever been wrong? Put the gun down Tom. Daryl's a friend and he's going to bring us to our little girl at last."

Tom stood frozen another moment but then did as she said. Michael ran forward crying "Where is she?! Is she okay?"

Abby jumped down and Daryl followed suit. Michael was already engulfed in a tight, maternal embrace and muffled crying could be heard coming from him as Abby smoothed his messy brown hair down.

Tom approached more slowly, eyes trained on Daryl. "So you found Leah. Alive."

"Yeah." Daryl met his eyes and kept his hands visible, still uncertain if Leah's dad was convinced he wasn't a threat. "She's doin' great. Climbin' everywhere she shouldn't."

That garnered him a shaky grin from Tom. "That sounds like Leah. She's our little Monkey. Shit, I don't know how to thank you for finding my little girl and keeping her safe-"

"No need to." Daryl grunted, hating to see this tough, proud man start to break down.

Tom nodded and thrust out his hand. Daryl valiantly endured an overly long and hearty handshake.

Then Daryl cleared his throat and firmly said "Lets clear out of here now, gonna be dark soon enough and Leah might get worried if I'm not back in time to tuck her in."

Abby laughed at this, a delightful musical sound. Tom muttered "Jesus, what a kid." but hastened to pile everyone into the truck and soon they were off.

As he drove Daryl couldn't help but wonder why, instead of feeling elated over finding Leah's family and fulfilling his promise to her, he felt a heaviness settling over his heart.


	5. Chapter 5

They weren't going to stay. Somehow Daryl had felt that in his bones as he lead Leah's family back to the prison that day and that was why the heaviness had begun in his chest. Now it only felt worse. He sat alone on a bench outside and stared out at the perimeter fences with unseeing eyes.

He couldn't say exactly why he'd had a foreboding about them not staying. But signs appeared that confirmed his feeling early on. It was right after their initial tearful reunion with Leah which had entailed both joy and terrible sadness for the little girl since she had to absorb the loss of her oldest brother Joe at the same time. They had given the family privacy for a long while. Once the tears had subsided Rick had approached and courteously extended the invitation for them to stay on at the prison. Tom had said they would think about it but Daryl just knew when he declined Rick's offer to bunk in some cells that night and they pitched their tent instead, that it was a bad sign.

Even worse, Daryl hadn't seen Leah after the initial shrieks of "Daryl you found them!" as she ran to her family's open arms. He had hoped she might still ask for him to come "tuck her in" despite being in the tent that night but no, that had not happened. He supposed that he hadn't been much good at it anyway and now she had her parents back who were probably experts at it. A curious tight feeling feeling arose in his throat as he walked by the empty cell which Leah had occupied the past two nights and he had trouble falling asleep, tossing and turning for a long while.

When he'd awakened in the morning he felt worse than after some of the worst all night benders Merle had dragged him on. He'd stumbled out of bed to splash some cold water on his face and almost tripped over Leah. She was uncharacteristically still, just sitting on the stairs, arms hugging her knees to her. When she saw him though she jumped up, hugging him tight and some of the heaviness had lifted from his chest temporarily.

"Thank you Daryl." she'd whispered.

He'd patted her head and said "Glad I could help."

Then she'd pulled back to look him in the eyes and said mournfully "But Joe is dead." And her little face crumpled, tears streaming down.

"I know honey, I know." He didn't know how many times he repeated that mantra while she sobbed against his shoulder, her whole body shaking. Words adequate to this type of grief escaped him, not that he'd ever been that good with words. It didn't seem to matter though, she just seemed to taper off on her own finally.

She sniffled "It's not fair Daryl."

"No, it ain't." he agreed gently.

Silence reigned for a bit. Some words came to him at last that might be appropriate "You know Leah; I lost my big brother too."

Her puffy, reddened eyes widened. "You did?"

"Yeah…I did." He'd never told anyone before about how that moment had been, how he'd felt cut the to the core seeing Merle yet not Merle raising those vacant Walker eyes up to snarl at him. Nobody knew how he'd lay there on the ground sobbing after he'd killed his turned brother. But he knew this was the right time to finally share it with someone. He took a deep breath and continued "I cried plenty. But after awhile you run out of tears. And even though I still miss him every day I can think about him now and feel sad but I can also be happy too rememberin' the good times, laugh about 'em even. And you'll be able to do that too someday with Joe."

Leah sniffled again and nodded solemnly.

Just then he remembered the art supplies he'd picked up for her, forgotten in the emotional scenes of yesterday. Lowering her to the ground he said "Almost forgot. Got some presents for you."

She'd followed him back to his bunk and watched curiously as he extracted everything from his rucksack. Her eyes went wide and she even smiled as he handed it all over. "Wow! Thanks, I haven't been able to color since we left our house! And even Glitter Glue—awesome!"

Daryl had felt really pleased as he watched her scamper off to show her mom looking more like her usual energetic self.

Tom and Michael had gone out fishing that day and Carl had joined them surprisingly, expressing a previously hidden interest in learning how. Rick had allowed it , just happy his son wanted to do something unrelated to guns and violence. They'd returned with a large catch and they'd all enjoyed a good fish fry. The celebratory mood had been spoiled for Daryl though when Rick had asked them if they'd decided to stay yet, emphasizing how they'd be a great addition to the group with their fishing expertise and medical knowledge.

Leah's dad had taken a deep breath and announced that while they appreciated the offer greatly they were going to continue on, some stupid shit about not being able to live in a cage like this and needing to find a place with the sea at his back, maybe find a house boat to live on. Daryl had sat there fuming through Tom's little speech and everyone's polite expressions of understanding.

Finally Daryl couldn't take it anymore and he'd walked over to Tom and said "Hey, can I speak to you for a minute man? In private?"

Tom had smiled up at him, looking quite pleased with himself and unsuspecting about what the content of this conversation might be. Daryl led him outside, not wanting to contradict a man in front of his family. He caught Carol's look of concern as they exited the room but he ignored it, too intent on getting this off his chest.

Finally, a few yards out from the door, Daryl stopped and turned to face Tom, crossing his arms to show he meant business.

"What can I do for you Daryl?" Tom asked cheerfully, still oblivious to Daryl's negative mood. "I know it's you we owe the most gratitude to for returning Leah to us. Anything you need, if I can help…"

"I just want one thing man. One thing. Don't do this, don't take your family out on the road again. You haven't been out there as long as we were, you don't know how fuckin' bad it is out there, how many Walkers, all the twisted sons of bitches you could meet up with who'll kill you faster than the Walkers even if they get the chance. Don't put your family at risk, don't take Leah back out there."

It all came pouring out of him faster than he'd planned, with more fervor than he'd intended. But it felt damn good saying it.

Tom however, did not react favorably. His face had darkened as Daryl went on and by the time he stopped to catch his breath Tom had crossed his arms defensively and furrowed his brows. In a tight voice he said "Are you telling me I can't keep my family safe? That I don't know what's best for them?!"

"I'm tellin' you that you ain't makin' a decision with the full information. You gotta think this through more. We were travelin' as a group, with weapons and everythin' and we still lost people. You'll be out there just two adults and two little kids—"

"Listen Daryl," Tom interrupted voice rising now, "You may have rescued Leah and kept her safe a few days but I'm her daddy and I know what's best for her and my family! You don't get to tell me what to do to keep them safe! So keep your opinion to yourself, your part is done in Leah's life!"

Daryl had felt his control of his temper, always quick to explode, starting to slip in the face of Tom's stubbornness. But he didn't care anymore, he didn't want to lose anyone else. "Well maybe it ain't! Maybe we should ask Leah what she wants to do, ya think?! She's pretty happy here and safe but you're too much of a stuck up prick to notice or care!"

Tom stepped in close to him now, face flushed and furious. Daryl instantly sized him up. He was about his height but probably had more weight on him in the upper body. Daryl thought he could take him anyway.

"Fuck you!" Tom snarled and he gave him a hard shove in the chest. Almost gleefully Daryl shoved back, bracing himself for a full on fistfight and relishing the thought of it.

"Stop it! Both of you!"

Carol's voice cut across the night air and they both froze. Turning they found Carol standing there with Abby at her side, both looking worried.

"Please Tom, don't do this!" Abby cried and then she ran up to them, forcing her way between them and flinging her arms round Tom. Carol followed her at a more regular pace, not taking her worried eyes off Daryl. He tried to slow down his breathing and met her eyes defiantly. No way was he going to back down. Or apologize.

Abby was murmuring to Tom softly, so softly Daryl couldn't make out what she was saying. His only responses were occasional grunts and nods. Carol remained silent, just standing beside Daryl not breaking eye contact. He didn't want to talk anyway. He just wanted to deck Tom, pound out all his built up frustration in a good ole' knock down drag out fight. But that ship had sailed thanks to the ladies.

After awhile Abby let go of Tom and said "Daryl, we appreciate your concern for us, we truly do. I know you only spoke out of the goodness of your heart. But you both have quick tempers and it all got out of hand didn't it? So let the cooler heads prevail and we'll sleep on your words tonight all right?"

Daryl hadn't wanted to agree but Abby looked at him so pleadingly and he could feel Carol's eyes boring into him as well so he finally nodded his head slowly and turned away. He could hear the sounds of their feet retreating.

Carol remained though. He ignored her for awhile staring out into the night, stewing. "Stupid prick." he finally mumbled.

"I know." Carol agreed surprisingly. He couldn't help but swing his head to look at her now. She was smiling sadly. " Yeah, I think he's making a bad decision too Daryl. But these are terrible times to be living in and certainly to raise a family in and there's no rule book for it. Every person with a conscience is struggling to figure out what's the right thing to do and our idea of the right thing just doesn't match his. We can't force our way of life on him—or at least we shouldn't."

Daryl thought about that frowning. It didn't strike him as such a bad idea to lock Tom up in a cell until he finally saw sense. But then he thought about how Leah might react to that and he knew it was only a fantasy.

"I know they're gonna pick up and leave Carol. And even though we've lost people before this, somehow this feels worse." He scratched his head, truly puzzled.

"Maybe it's because you aren't losing Leah to death. She's just leaving, moving on. Here you'll know she's alive and out there, but you won't be around to protect her." Carol's gentle words struck home.

"And if something happens to them I won't even know if…if…" He trailed off unable to even give voice to the horrible thought.

Carol nodded. "It sucks, it really does. And you can be angry. But don't let it show in front of Leah, don't let her see you don't trust her daddy's decision. He's her hero too you know. Don't make her choose between the two of you."

Daryl didn't want to listen to the wisdom in her words, didn't want to give up on trying to stop them. But the rational part of him forced him to admit inwardly that he had to. He didn't have the words left to say so though. He just remained silent, staring up at the cold stars for a good long while. Carol stayed with him, silent as well and there was some comfort in her steady presence.

But now it was morning and Leah's family was clearly engaged in packing up to leave. Well, he'd known sleeping on it wouldn't change Tom's mind. Daryl had steered clear of the scene, not trusting himself around Tom. So here he sat on a bench on the far side of the prison where he didn't have to be subjected to seeing or hearing any of it. He wasn't much for teary, emotional goodbye scenes anyway so it would be just as well if Leah left without seeing him one more time anyway.

Wouldn't it?

The answer wasn't so simple it turned out. He almost got up three times to head to the front gate. Three times he stubbornly convinced himself he wouldn't care if she left without him saying goodbye, that it didn't matter. In the midst of this uncharacteristic inner turmoil that high pitched voice suddenly pierced the air.

"Daryl! I've been looking all over for you!"

A smile spread across his face immediately as he looked up to find Leah skipping right up to him. She had both her hands behind her back as if she was trying to hide something. Her face was very serious. "We're leaving soon. Weren't you gonna come say goodbye?"

Now he felt bad. Shit. Better lie or he might make her cry. "I was just 'bout to."

"Oh. Good." She brightened a little and continued tentatively. "I really wanted to stay but Daddy says we'll find a home near the ocean so I can go swimming all the time and stuff and we'll get a boat and it will be awesome…"

God this was hard! He wanted to tell her she should beg her father to let her stay, scream and cry until he backed down from his absurd plan. But Carol's words from last night resonated in his mind and he forced himself to smile again and say "Sounds great Leah. I bet you'll love it."

"Yeah. But…but I'll miss everyone here lots. Especially Carol and Judith. And you most of all."

"I'll miss you lots too." He balled his fists in frustration, hoping she wouldn't notice. He was wishing he'd never found her now so he wouldn't have to go through this kind of loss.

"I made you something with the stuff you got me." She finally removed her hands from behind her and thrust a paper into his hands so he had no choice but to unball his fists and accept it. He blinked in astonishment at the colorful drawing, thinking he'd never been given a drawing as a present before in his life.

Before he could process it Leah sat down next to him and started pointing and explaining. "See, that' s you Daryl, the tall one. And you're shooting your cross bow. And the shorter one is me and I have a bow and arrow too but the old fashioned kind like Legolas cuz I like that one better. And we both have capes since we're superheroes. Yours is green since you're like Green Arrow and mine's purple cuz, purple's my favorite color. And we're shooting at the Walkers there—" and she pointed to the left side of the paper where three malformed, scary faced creatures stood—"to save the people here." There was what looked like two adults and a kid on the right.

"This is…really great Leah." And it really was. Somehow this single piece of paper was the most incredible thing he'd seen in a long time.

"Thanks. You could hang it up in your room to remember me until I come back."

"Wait, what?" Daryl looked at her confused.

She smiled "Yeah, someday when I'm a grown up and I learn how to shoot a bow good like you Daryl I'm gonna come back. And we'll be super heroes together; we'll save people all the time."

Then she hugged him fiercely one more time. He hugged her back, glad she couldn't see his face this way because he thought he might be tearing up. "Sounds good little Monkey, sounds good."

They walked up front to her family's waiting truck hand in hand, like they had that day that seemed so long ago in the woods when he first brought her back. Rick was shaking hands with Tom and Abby was just handing Judith back to Beth. Leah ran off to them to hug Judith one more time too. Michael and Carl seemed to be deep in a heated conversation surprisingly. When everyone caught sight of Daryl things fell silent. Acutely aware of Tom's eyes on him in particular Daryl walked right up to him and sticking out his hand said as civilly as he could "Good luck to you all."

Tom shook his hand firmly and with a smile that looked a bit forced replied "Thanks. Take care of yourself man."

Then Abby came up to him holding the green scarf she'd been crocheting when he'd found her. Her smile was warm and natural as she proffered it to him saying "Please accept this as a small thank you Daryl. I thought green was appropriate given my daughter's nickname for you."

Startled at receiving yet a second present in one day and very touched he could only grunt "Thanks. Stay safe out there."

She stuck out her hand now and with a bit of juggling of the scarf and picture he managed to stick out a hand as well and they shook too. "God bless you Daryl and keep you safe." And with a final wave to everyone she turned and joined Tom who was already settling into the driver's seat. Michael high fived Carl then and followed them leaving only Leah outside the truck now. She gave Judith a kiss and started to climb in the truck as well.

Daryl was just about to turn away, unable to witness her actually driving off, when Leah suddenly reversed course, ran towards him and hugged him one last time. "I'll miss you lots Daryl. Bye Green Arrow."

He hugged her back, not caring that everyone's eyes were on them and said hoarsely "I'll miss you too. But remember you promised to come back so we could save people together right?"

Tears were his only answer at first. Then she whispered back "Yeah, we'll be superheroes together."

Then she slid down and ran back to the truck, not looking back. Daryl turned and walked away, somehow knowing she wouldn't be looking back at him either. He made his way to his bunk, smoothed out Leah's picture, and set about finding a way to affix it to the wall directly opposite where he laid his head. Then he collapsed on the bed and stared at its bright colors reflectively, oblivious to all else.

Awhile later Rick came by, cleared his throat and said "Goin' on a run in a bit. You comin' Daryl?"

He didn't even have to think about the answer. "Yeah, sure." After all, there were hundreds of chances to be a hero everyday in this hellish world, he just had to take those chances. Even if it meant getting hurt sometimes. With a final smile at Leah's picture Daryl was off again, crossbow slung across his back. He almost wished he had the green cape for an instant. He could hear her voice in his head "We'll be superheroes together. We'll save people all the time."

He wouldn't have her with him but he would sure try his damndest anyway.


End file.
